The Lady of Ogygia
by Crayola Hearts
Summary: Locked in her tower, she could only watch the world through a mirror.


**_Note: _**I'm not entirely sure where the idea came from, but for some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to mix Rapunzel and The Lady of Shallot with my own twist and yeah.

* * *

**_The Lady of Ogygia_**

_Chapter 1_

The harsh summer sun bore down upon the kingdom, sparing nothing from its assault. The grass seemed to have fallen limp and the trees drooped, as if the heat weighed too much for their feeble branches. Not an animal stirred in the farmland except to move to a different spot, desperately seeking shade. Even the streets of the Kingdom's largest city, Ogygia, were more or less deserted. The river that ran through the heart of the civilization, was devoid of life as even the water was too warm to offer escape. The doors and windows of nearly every house were open in a desperate attempt to create circulation, but not a lick of wind stirred. The earth seemed to bake that day.

Some, however, were not at all bothered by the heat. Some children ran between buildings, hiding in the shade until they cooled down enough to run back into the streets. The shops were still open, as business was business, and neither rain nor shine served as a reason to turn away the occasional customer. Every so often, a woman who had shed the first layer of her clothes would step outside in hopes that she could get a breeze beneath her skirt. Even those in the castle, the royal family and their guards, were not spared from the blaze.

Every window and door of the castle had been opened. Though most of the servants had been told they could retire early, many of them still kept at their tasks. The guard had been permitted to strip themselves of their armor. Even the princess, who, under most circumstances, was required to wear the appropriate attire at all times, had been granted admissibility.

She lounged on her window, head propped against the frame and a leg dangling over the edge. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a long braid that was slowly coming undone. She'd rolled the legs of her pants farther than any woman would dare; the ends rested at a point just above her knee. Her shirt, which was nothing more than a thin cotton blouse, had been unbuttoned as far as it could be without causing outrage. Her brother sat on the balcony beneath her with his back against the wall. His fingers fidgeted with a small bronze object while his attention lay elsewhere.

At first glance, one could tell they weren't related in any possible way. The princess had redish brown skin and strong but pretty features. The boy, on the other hand, had a more caramel complexion and impish features; even when at peace, he had a mischievous look about him, as if he were contemplating how to steal someones money pouch without being caught.

Of course, the two weren't related. The girl was the heir to the throne, and the king's only daughter. The boy was family-less, having arrived in Ogygia only a few years before, but they acted as if they'd known each other their entire lives. They considered each other siblings, annoying siblings, but siblings nonetheless.

"Isn't it too early in the year for it to be so hot?" The princess complained. She fanned herself with her hand, though it was a useless effort and she only succeeded in tiring arm a few moments later.

The boy shrugged. He was not at all bothered by the sweltering heat. "Wouldn't know," he replied. His fingers moved to a different part of the object in his hands as he continued. "I don't really pay attention to the weather, you know?"

"I don't understand how you're not bothered by this," the girl huffed. She sat up and swung her legs over the window. The toe of her foot caught him in the back of the head, and when he grumbled in response, she simply smiled.

"I grew up around forges, I _am _a blacksmith," he said simply. "I'm used to dealing with hot things. I am one, after all?"

He looked over his shoulder and flashed her a mischievous smile to which the princess rolled her eyes.

"Don't delude yourself, Leo," she chided.

The boy - Leo - rolled his eyes once more and returned his attention to the landscape below. Just beyond the stratigically placed stone and brick buildings that created the inner city, the outer city lay in a mess of haphazardly placed wood homes. Past that, the green hills of the country side rolled and dipped until they came to a stop at the forest on the horizon. What lay beyond that, no one knew.

Most people avoided the forest. Since aincent times, back when the great kingdom of Ogygia was nothing more than a collection of mud shacks, there have been stories and legend about the place on the horizon. Most of them centered around mythical creatures, such as faries and elves, though there were a few that focused on more interesting matters. One legend in particular spoke of a woman - a sorceress - who resided in the aincent forest. They called her the Lady of Ogygia, for which the forest and later the city were named.

Every few years or so, someone would wander off into the forest. When they returned, they claimed they'd seen her. The accounts were always the same; they entered the forest and got lost. Many claimed they lost consciousness and when they woke, they were lying before a tower with the sorceress staring down at them. Despite the consistency in the claims, they were never believed to be true. The forest was a strange place, full of old magic; to the people of Ogygia, it was nothing more than an illusion.

Over the years, the story had changed and the accounts became inconsistent. People claimed they'd spoken to her, some claimed they'd heard her singing. Some claimed she was a beautiful and benign woman, while others claimed that she was nothing short of a witch; a vile creature with a pretty face that lured men in and held them as slaves until their bones withered to dust. The fact that some never returned from the forest only furthered instilled this belief.

Eventually, the people of Ogygia came to fear her. The Lady of Ogygia became the Witch of the Woods. Her story was one that parents told to keep their children in line.

_"Behave now,"_ they'd say, _"or the Witch of the Woods will come and take you away."_

The former king had tried to rename the city, but not even a year later, a terrible drought plagued the land. The people struggled for months without food. Out of fear that he had evoked the witch's wrath, the king had reverted back to the name of Ogygia and placed a law that made it illegal to even discuss renaming the kingdom.

Leo had always found the kingdom's way of dealing with the myth to be amusing. When things were fine and the kingdom was prospering, they were quick to dismiss her existence as nothing more than a child's tale, but as soon as something went wrong, they suddenly believed in her existence. It was as if they weren't sure what to believe.

He himself didn't believe in the tale. The princess claimed it was simply because he was from another place, many a day's trip away from the small kingdom; that only someone who was born and raised in Ogygia would understand, but he never believed her. The entire idea of the story was ridiculous. If such a woman existed, why would she not have appeared in the city at least once? Of course, when he voiced this question to the people in town, they claimed they had no answer. To him, that was as good as a confirmation that she wasn't real.

Yet, a part of him, thought it might be possible. There were many strange things in the world - he had one sitting on his shoulder.

The creature was considerably large for a lizard, especially compared to the ones found in those parts, with gleaming bronze scales and beady red eyes. The lizard, which Leo had dubbed Festus upon finding him, was anything but. He was more intelligent than any lizard Leo had met, and certainly more entertaining and intriguing, though he spent most of his time lazing around on Leo's shoulders. The princess never understood what Leo found so appealing about the creature, but she didn't know what Festus truly was.

If she knew that Leo had been carrying a _dragon_ all these years, she'd freak. They were rare creatures, thought to be extinct, whose existence predated even human existence. By nature, all were greedy, but some less than others. Some hoarded gold, or jewels, or animals, among other things, but Festus hoarded metal. He had a particular interest in bronze, even more so when Leo created trinkets out of it.

Leo reached up and scratched Festus beneath his chin. The dragon tilted his head to the side and nuzzled into the touch.

"You know, they have another name for it?"

Confused, Leo glanced back at the princess. She was looking out over the city, her gaze captured by the same thing his had been moments before.

"The forest, I mean. They call it the Edge of the World because no one knows what's beyond it. Some people say it's another ocean, and other's believe its the gate way to the afterlife, a ghost land."

Leo shook his head. "You people believe in some strange things."

The princess shrugged. "Ogygia has always been surrounded by myths and magic. It does make life more interesting, though. At least the writers have good topic for their stories."

He couldn't argue with that. The castle's library was full of stories and poems that spoke of the lore of Ogygia. He'd never bothered to read any of them, however; he didn't have to. The princess knew almost every one by heart and the townspeople had many more to tell.

"They say it's only men who get to see her." The princess continued.

"She's probably a lonely old lady. She could use a bit of Leo in her life," the boy said. He puffed out his chest and slicked his hair back.

The princess snorted. To any one else, it would have been a rude and unlady like gesture, one she wouldn't dare to make in the presence of her father or his company, but Leo didn't care. In fact, he liked it better. It meant she was more herself and not the prim and proper young lady society expected her to be. "I think she'd do just fine without it."

Leo rolled his eyes.

When he turned his attention to the horizon again, the sun had begun to set. The endless cerulean sky slowly became tinged with orange and pink. The clouds looked like swatches of dyed cotton. Off in the distance, the forest seemed to glow against the dusk sky. The two sat in silence for a little while longer before the temperature began to drop as night descended upon the kingdom.

The princess was the first to go back in, though Leo followed shortly after.

"I should probably get back to the shop," he said.

"You know you can stay here," the princess sighed. "Your stuff might not be there, but the room's still yours."

Leo shook his head. "I have too many orders to fill. I've been here longer than I should have been. Sorry, Pipes, no sleepovers or pranking the guards tonight."

Piper rolled her eyes. "You prank the guards. I don't."

"No, you just make googly eyes at one of them when you think no one's looking."

He regretted saying that. The princess's face lit up with embarrassment and before she could stop her self, she punched him heavily in the arm. Leo felt the tingling before the pain kicked in. For a short moment, his arm had gone numb, but feeling eventually came back. "How do you always manage to hit the nerves?"

Piper flashed him a triumphant smile. "I've had years of practice."

On me, Leo wanted to say, but he thought better of it. Piper had a way with words. Sometimes, he found it scary just how persuasive she could be, and how easily she could corner someone into saying something that would either answer something they'd been avoiding, or cause her to win an argument. If he didn't know better, he'd suspect _her_ of being a sorceress.

With an awkward hug, Piper gave him another punch for good measure, and he was on his way.

When he'd first arrived, the complexity and exquisiteness of the castle had left him breathless, but now, nearly eight years later, it looked almost normal to him. He could see the faults in the marble columns that lined the foyer, the frayed ends of the rugs, the scuffs in the door, and the one candle holder that always seemed to lean more than the others. Yet, with it all came the sense of familiarity.

For a good six years, this castle had been his home. He knew every nook and cranny, ever secret passage way and door. He knew how to sneak into the kitchen and make off with an entire basket without being caught by the cook and his Wooden Spoon of Death. He knew how to get into the throne room from the main entry hall. He even knew the shortcuts to the princess's room, though he never used them. The one time he did, he'd had the imprint of her hand on his cheek for the next several hours.

The memory brought a smile to his lips. During the first three years, it had been just the two of them running rampant around the castle. Then came Jason. He'd been the son of a knight who'd been appointed as the head of the Royal Guard. He'd quickly fallen in with the two of them and their couple became a trio. Up until just a couple years ago, they'd been inseparable. If one went somewhere, the other two weren't far behind, despite how dangerous and stupid it was. Then, Piper had been pulled off for her lessons. She'd reached the marrying age and her father had been adamant about her becoming the perfect woman so she could marry a decent prince. Jason had joined the guard shortly after. The Leo had been left alone, though not intentionally.

He'd known it was going to happen. Jason had always wanted to follow his father's footsteps, and as the years passed, Piper's father had been getting more stern about her lessons.

With no other reason to stay, he left the castle.

The king had given him a place in the city, one that was big enough to hold both a forge, a shop, and his home and despite not being able to stick with the other two, he was content, or so he told himself. At least Jason and Piper were able to spend time with each other; Jason had been appointed as the princess's personal guard. A knight and a princess weren't so odd together.

Then there was him; and unlike them, he wasn't of noble birth. His father wasn't a king or a knight; his father was a blacksmith and his mother a cart-wright. He came from a poor family hundreds of miles away. He was Leo. Not Sir Leo, not Prince Leo (despite how much he liked how it sounded), he was just...Leo. In fact, he wasn't even sure what he was.

Festus nudged his jaw and made a loud clicking noise. Over the years, Leo had come to understand him.

"I'm fine, buddy," he said and forced a smile for extra measure.

The dragon snorted, indicating that he didn't believe him, but didn't press the matter, much to Leo's relief.

The city looked completely different from the ground. While from a bird's eye view, it looked organized and easily navigable, but once one was actually in the city, it was a completely different thing. People began to fill the streets, thankful for the break form the sweltering afternoon heat. The walk to the shop, though it wasn't far from the castle was along one; the city was larger than it seemed.

When he rounded the corner that led to his street, he saw his neighbors. The newly wed couple had moved to Ogygia a few months prior. The reason why had never been explicitly stated, they'd only insisted that they wanted to start a new life when he asked. He didn't pry further. He understood the feeling better than he should have.

The two of them were different from the rest of Ogygia's inhabitants, then again so was he, but it never seemed to bother anyone. The kingdom always welcomed new people despite their place of origin. They were an odd couple; at most he could gauge that the woman with her darker skin tone and curly, fly-away hair, had come from the south while the man, with his very distinctive oriental features had come from the east.

Despite the fact that they'd only been living across from him for a short time, there was tension between them. Leo was a natural flirt, and he hadn't known that the woman, Hazel, had been married. For a few months, things had been extremely tight among the three of them, but after a while, it began to mellow out. Hazel's husband, Frank, wasn't entirely okay with him, but at least the glaring contests had come to an end.

With a heavy sigh, he threw the door open.

The shop wasn't the grandest thing, but it was home.

The entrance lead to the shop itself. Against the back wall, a wooden wraparound counter stood, the top cluttered with bits of metal and other mechanical objects. On the wall across from it was his workbench, which was in an even sorrier state. From his shoulder, Festus snorted and produced a series of clicking sounds.

"Yeah, I know I have to clean this place up. I'll do it tomorrow."

The dragon shook his head and leapt to the ground.

Leo gave the shop one last look before trudging up the stairs. He was exhausted. Before going to the castle he'd spent several hours working on his latest project, a sword for Jason's upcoming birthday (at the request of Piper, of course) and his arms were sore and aching. Festus was already waiting at the top and Leo could have sworn he was tapping his front foot impatiently.

"Don't make that face at me," he chided and opened the door. Festus scurried in.

The house was surprisingly clean, but then again, Leo spent most of his time down in the shop. As he made his way to his room, he stripped himself of his clothes and left them were they fell. He'd pick them up in the morning, but the only thing on his mind right now was sleep and how good the pillow felt beneath his face.

* * *

His dreams were always strange and haphazard; this one was no different.

He wasn't sure where he was. Dense forest surrounded him; tall trees with thick trunks lace with vines soared over his head. A canopy of leaves blocked the sun - only a few lucky slivers slipped through. Off to his right, a small, clear stream bubbled. In front of him, standing proudly in the middle of a small clearing was a massive oak. It's trunk was tangled with vines. Silver flowers bloomed at it's base, some rising between the gaps in the twisting roots.

It looked like an ordinary tree, nothing to be impressed with, but as he neared the clearing, he noticed that there was something carved into the bark. The letters were strong and bold, chiseled with perfection that only a sculptor could manage. What they said, he wasn't sure, but he knew the writing was ancient.

Then he heard it.

It was probably the most beautiful sound he'd ever had the pleasure of listening to. It was soft yet powerful, sweet as sugar, and the tone was warm and rich. The longer he listened, the more he seemed to relax. He felt his worries melting away, the tension left his shoulder. All around the tree, the plants seemed to dance. No longer did he feel in control of his own body, and while the thought should have scared him, it didn't.

He took a step, and then another, and another, and another until he was right at the base of the tree.

Then he took another step, and walked into the tree.

What lay on the other side could not be described with words. The grass was vibrant green, the sky bluer than he'd ever seen. The sun shown softly on the earth, not too warm, but just enough that it was the perfect temperature all around. Off to his immediate right was a glittering lake, but what stood behind it caught his attention the most.

It should have looked out of place, but it didn't. The tower was made of smooth stone and rose nearly a hundred feet into the air. The walls were crawling with ivy and vines. Rose bushes and lilacs dotted the base. At the very top, just below where the blue shingled roof started, was a large window.

The singing was softer now, more of a gentle hum than anything.

He stepped forward.

Inside the window he saw movement; a flash of golden brown and a blur of white. The humming stopped and everything around him felt silent. He tried to speak, to say something, but his mouth refused to respond. For a brief moment, he glanced away from the window, but when he looked back, someone was standing there.

He felt the breath leave him. She was absolutely the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Her hair the color of toasted bread, a warm and rich golden brown. It was pulled off to one side in a loose braid. Her complexion was pale, paler than he'd seen before, but it suited her. Even at that distance, he could tell she truly was beautiful; her brows arched perfectly, her lips were plump and full, and her nose turned up the slightest bit at the end.

For what felt like eternity, they stared at each other. He couldn't move, he couldn't think. He wasn't even sure he was breathing.

Then, her expression twisted with confusion. "You shouldn't be here," she said.

Her voice was mesmerizing. Then, she lifted a hand and waved him away, and everything went black.

* * *

When he woke, he was lying in his dark room, staring at the ceiling. He tried to remember exactly what he'd dreamed of, but he kept drawing a blank. He knew there was a woman, her voice echoed through his mind, but her face, was blurred and distorted. Even the place around him was fading from his memory.

But her words still stuck.

He laid there for nearly an hour, just listening to the last thing she said. _You shouldn't be here._

He didn't like how that sounded.


End file.
